Six noteworthy tunes heard today:
KDHX 88.1 FM
- Sympathy-Mowjoe (An appealing new jazzy instrumental with an early '70s R&B feel.)
WSIE 88.7 FM
- Rain Forest-Paul Hardcastle (A strong upbeat electronica hook has kept this melody in smooth jazz station rotations for four decades. We hadn't been playing it on KNJZ until one night when the station was off the air. While the engineer worked to get us back on the air, I listened to tracks off-air that I wished we would play. When broadcasting resumed that night, I was playing "Rain Forest." Soon after that, it was added to our playlist; I can't prove it, but I'd like to think that the program director heard me playing it and thought, "Say, why aren't we playing 'Rain Forest' regularly?")
- Nostalgia-Brittany Atterberry (Pleasant uptempo smooth jazz sax stylings, released in September.)
KCLC 89.1 FM
- Worthy-Mavis Staples (Staples conveys empowering sentiments here similar to those in Taj Mahal's "Everybody Is Somebody" through her declarative, anthemic vocals. I also like that Staples left in her request, "Let me do that again," at the end.)
KEZK 102.5 FM
- I Heard A Rumour-Bananarama (I didn't know KEZK played this until today. The synthesized arrangement and catchy vocal hook are lodged firmly in 1987. For what it is, it's a fun pop tune--and it was an even bigger hit than I realized.)
KPNT 105.7 FM
- Shimmer-Fuel (This tune rocks harder than much of what I usually recommend. It deserves credit for grabbing the listener's ear from the first sung note and being well-structured; this is how to increase a song's energy level and pull out all the stops in the second verse.)
